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Saturday, February 22, 2014

A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare

When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin...time is not on their side.

Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove's confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland.

Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be...anywhere but Spindle Cove.

These unlikely partners have one week to

• fake an elopement
• convince family and friends they're in "love"
• outrun armed robbers
• survive their worst nightmares
• travel four hundred miles without killing each other

All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.

What they don't have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.

Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble. And maybe...just maybe...love.

I picked up A Week to be Wicked after hearing much love for the author by Amanda over at On a Book Bender. Our tastes seem to be pretty compatible, so while at the library I decided to see what they had. A Week to be Wicked is actually the second of the Spindle Cove series, but I went for it anyway, figuring I wouldn't be too lost. I'm so glad I did, this was a fun, adventurous and intelligent romp that had me laughing and sighing with emotion often on the same page!

I enjoy historical fiction/romance on it's own, just for the fact of being set historically, but what really gets me attached to a book is when there is another element that ties in to my own interests. I got that pleasant surprise here, as neither the cover, nor the description hints at the geological/paleontological elements involved. It's actually a driving factor in the story and I love that! Francine is a passive but humorous "character" in her own right. Minerva is a strong woman with scientific interests, she's witty and quick, a girl I could easily identify with. Colin is a rake, and a mess, but a lovable one, and he does his best to keep his promises, which usually just makes everything go even more wrong the harder he tries. Of course he's a damaged hero, and we love those right? YES WE DO! Fictional suffering FTW!

I also loved the dedication in the front: "For all the girls who walk and read at the same time." Tessa was totally saying to me, "This romance is for YOU!" (I still do it!)

Thanks for the recommend Amanda, I'll definitely be reading more from Tessa Dare!